


Painful Truth

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Beaches, Gen, Internal Conflict, Ocean, Seteth being stubborn, Small Talk, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22650646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Flayn visits her Mother.
Relationships: Flayn & Seteth (Fire Emblem), My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Painful Truth

Ocean waves are calming to Flayn.

From the hissing sound they create, to the icy, salty prick they give her ankles, each second she spends standing brings a nostalgic memory of her Mother. Her Mother is here at her side, six feet under the Rhodos Coast, buried deep beneath the ocean’s surface. The water, crystal blue, lets Flayn gaze into her own reflection. Her face is contorted into sadness, a symptom of memories from long ago.

“Mother,” she mutters, “how are you? Is it fun, I wonder, being one with the sea? You have always loved the sea. Brother and I...we are giving our all. We are moving east to confront Judith of the Leicester Alliance. We are hoping to join sides. A lot has happened in the last five years...I am sorry for not being able to visit you.”

Mother answers her with the waves.

“Edelgard has become Emperor, and she has declared war. Lady Rhea is missing and we have yet to find her. I feel as if we have been backed into a corner…”

The waves stab her shins.

“I promise to be safe, Mother. Brother and I will always return here.”

Flayn turns over her shoulder to meet Seteth’s eyes. He has a solemn look, staring blankly at the water below. The girl can not fathom why he has decided to remain afar. He has not spoken to Mother in years, and yet, he is passing up possibly his only chance. Flayn had somewhat lied when she vowed to return. War has no bounds. War will not spare even a child. War is survival of the fittest. War never changes. Seteth has seen worse with his own eyes, and here he is barely having the courage to look Flayn in the face.

Wind blowing, waves crashing, Flayn calls out, “Brother, please, say hello to Mother.”

“I will not, Flayn,” Seteth replies. His eyes remain stagnant at the ocean.

Turning, Flayn opens her mouth to rebuttal, yet before Seteth shoots her a questionable look, and says:

“I will when the time is ripe. My apologies, Flayn, but as of now, Mother is the least of our worries.”

His words struck like daggers in her feet — possibly the icy ocean — and shot a bullet of truth through her head.

“How could you say such a thing?”

Seteth gazes down shamefully. “It...is a hard truth for me, too, Flayn. Bear with me.”

“Brother, you…” the girl _absolutely_ can not believe he said it in front of Mother. This was a time for joy, not hard truths! The one time Flayn wishes it would all simply go away, just for a moment, for everything to go back to normal, she gets knocked off her high horse and tumbles back to the hardship called life. Tears gleam in her eyes, falling into ocean water below. The tide has almost climbed to her knees.

“I am sorry, Mother,” Flayn mumbles. “Again, you get to see me in an ugly state,” she wipes her eyes, “I hope I make it up to you. Next time we visit, I will _force_ Brother to say hello. He is safe. He and our Professor have a wonderful relationship.”

The thought of it brings Flayn a smile, “It may be a fantasy of mine, Mother, but in the coming years, you may find yourself becoming a great-grandmother.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Wrote and turned this in as classwork. Sorry if it’s a little dull, but nowadays Fire Emblem is all that’s on my mind.


End file.
